Energy

Image: GRID Alternatives

Supplying reliable and sustainable energy to the state’s economy requires planning and policies underpinned by a commitment to utilization of the best available science. To this end, California’s energy infrastructure must be designed to cope with the state’s highly variable conditions and frequent disruptions from wildfires, storms, and floods, which will be exacerbated by more frequent and intense natural disasters brought by a changing climate. The impacts of climate change have potential to be drastic for the energy sector. For instance, changes in temperatures, precipitation patterns, extreme events, and sea-level rise have the potential to decrease the efficiency of thermal power plants and substations, decrease the capacity of transmission lines, render hydropower less reliable, spur an increase in electricity demand, and put energy infrastructure at risk of flooding.[1]

To address resilience of the energy sector, local jurisdictions must work with utilities and regulators. At the state level, the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) are working to address the effects of climate disruption on the energy sector. Priorities for the energy sector include actionable research, working with vulnerable communities, and continuing to invest in renewable energy, renewable distributed generation, energy efficiency, and building retrofits. All of these efforts can bolster and incorporate climate adaptation, limiting climate impacts while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A priority should be on improving energy sector resilience for vulnerable communities, as these communities will suffer disproportionately from the impacts of climate change.[2] Another important piece is for investor-owned utilities and other energy infrastructure owners to develop robust vulnerability assessments and resilience plans, incorporating the risks from a standardized set of climate scenarios.[3]
Local governments can partner with utilities in these areas, to provide energy security, reduce energy demand, and improve system reliability.

California Natural Resources Agency. 2018

California state agencies collaborated to compile each of these examples, associated with Safeguarding California's 2018 update, to show how California is preparing for and adjusting to various extreme events brought on by climate change. … Each of these examples highlights unique strategies, funded by the state, to combat and adapt to the effects of climate change. The examples are tagged with icons from the Safeguarding California Report, classifying stories by sector. This example focuses on the Cal-Adapt's useful to the energy sector.

Local Government Commission. 2018

CivicSpark is a Governor’s Initiative AmeriCorps program administered by the Local Government Commission in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research that is dedicated to building capacity for local governments to address … climate change and water management issues in California. In collaboration with local government staff, CivicSpark Fellows implement a needed climate or water-focused project, while also building long-term capacity to ensure the work is sustained after their service year is completed.

Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation. 2018

The Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation (ARCCA) is a network of regional collaboratives from across California that work together to advance adaptation statewide and increase local capacity to build community resilience. … Through ARCCA, adaptation practitioners connect with peers across the state to exchange knowledge, and engage in targeted problem-solving across sectors and jurisdictions. The collaborative includes learning sessions, a California Resiliency Directory and Listserv, legislative tracking, and a Regional Adaptation Collaborative Toolkit.

California Emergency Management Agency. 2012

The California Adaptation Planning Guide (APG) serves as a foundational resource for climate adaptation planning in California. This supplemental document provides a more in-depth understanding of how climate change can affect a community. … Seven “impact sectors” are described to support communities conducting a climate vulnerability assessment.

Eco Adapt. 2018

AssessmentCase StudyCommunication or educational materialData, tools, and researchPlan or strategyProject or Example

The Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) is a site that helps users find resources by organizing and explaining data, tools and information available from other sites. It includes an interactive online platform and a directory of … practitioners to share knowledge and strategies. CAKE consists of case studies, a virtual library, directory and tools and houses a variety of community forums for the discussion of current issues in climate adaptation.

California Natural Resources Agency. 2018

The Fourth California Climate Change Assessment (Fourth Assessment) is the first inter-agency effort to implement a substantial portion of the Climate Change Research Plan, which articulates near-term climate change research needs to ensure … that the state stays on track to meet its climate goals. The State has completed three prior Climate Change Assessments. The Fourth California Climate Change Assessment (Fourth Assessment) will provide critical additional information to support decisions that will safeguard the people, economy and resources of California including information regarding expected climate impacts from extreme weather events such as more frequent and more severe wildfires, and more intense and more frequent drought. Data and findings from this Assessment will be available via Cal-Adapt, in the form of regional reports, and more.

Governor's Office of Planning and Research. 2017

Executive Order B-30-15 directed OPR to provide guidance for state agencies to integrate current and future climate conditions into all planning and investment decisions. This document provides this guidance in a step-by-step process with … specific guidance on prioritizing actions that promote equity and foster community resilience. While this guidance is aimed at state agencies in particular, it can be applied to the local and regional scales.

Georgetown University: Georgetown Climate Center. 2018

AssessmentCase StudyCommunication or educational materialData, tools, and researchPlan or strategyPlanning and policy guidanceProject or Example

The Georgetown Climate Center's Adaptation Clearinghouse is an online database and networking site that serves policymakers and others who are working to help communities adapt to climate change. This Clearinghouse features a wide array … of resources, including research papers, case studies, plans, climate science, modeling tools, and more. Content focal areas include the water, coastal, transportation, infrastructure and public health sectors, and adaptation planning, policies, laws, and governance.

Georgetown University: Georgetown Climate Center. 2018

AssessmentCommunication or educational materialData, tools, and researchPlan or strategyPlanning and policy guidance

The Adaptation Equity Portal hosts resources under the Georgetown Adaptation Clearinghouse that are specific to people facing disproportionate climate impacts, also referred to as frontline communities. The Resources hosted in the Equity Portal … include an introduction to adaptation and equity, tools, assessments, plans, and programs specific to addressing equity, relevant funding programs, laws and strategies, and much more.

United States Global Change Research Program. 2018

Case StudyData, tools, and researchPlanning and policy guidanceProject or Example

The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit is a website designed to help people find and use tools, information, and subject matter expertise to build climate resilience. The Toolkit offers information from all across the U.S. federal government … in one location. Some features of the Toolkit include the Climate Explorer visualization tool, a five-step resilience planning process, case studies documenting climate-related risks and responses, and a federal resource database.